UFC 3
Encyclopedia
UFC 3: The American Dream was a mixed martial arts (MMA)
event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
on September 9, 1994, at Grady Cole Center
in Charlotte
, North Carolina
. The event was seen live on pay-per-view
in the United States
, and was later released on home video
.
format, with the winner receiving $60,000. The tournament had no weight classes or weight limits. Each match had no time limit or rounds; therefore no judges were used for the night. Competitors could only win a match by submission
, throwing in the towel, knockout
, or referee stoppage. This event marked the first time the referee was given the authority to stop the contest. The referee
for the night was once again "Big" John McCarthy.
Replacement fighter Steve Jennum
won the tournament by defeating Harold Howard
via submission due to strikes, despite only fighting in the finals. Jennum was a replacement for Ken Shamrock
, who made it to the finals but withdrew due to injury. This was the first UFC tournament that was not won by Royce Gracie
(who could not continue due to fatigue). After Jennum won the UFC 3 tournament as an alternate, the UFC instituted alternate qualifying bouts to balance out fatigue, and lessen the advantage that alternates previously had entering the tournament without fighting quarterfinal bouts.
UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre mentioned that watching Jennum win UFC 3 contributed to his decision to compete in mixed martial arts.[3]
was forced to withdraw due to injury. He was replaced by Felix Lee Mitchell.
2Royce Gracie
's corner threw in the towel before the fight. Harold Howard
then advanced to the finals of the tournament, since there were no other opponents for Howard to face (the two alternate competitors for the card were already being utilized to replace the injured Ken Shamrock
and Keith Hackney
).
3It was announced that Ken Shamrock
was injured at the event and could not continue, so he was replaced with Steve Jennum
.
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
on September 9, 1994, at Grady Cole Center
Grady Cole Center
Grady Cole Center is a small civic center located near Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, North Carolina.The 3,000 seat center is located near the city's center, and can host several types of events. It was built in 1954 to replace the Charlotte Armory Arena, which had been destroyed...
in Charlotte
CHARLOTTE
- CHARLOTTE :CHARLOTTE is an American blues-based hard rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1986. Currently, they are signed to indie label, Eonian Records, under which they released their debut cd, Medusa Groove, in 2010. Notable Charlotte songs include 'Siren', 'Little Devils',...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. The event was seen live on pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and was later released on home video
Home video
Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or rented/hired for home cinema entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc and, to a lesser extent, into methods of digital...
.
History
UFC 3 used an eight-man tournamentTournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
format, with the winner receiving $60,000. The tournament had no weight classes or weight limits. Each match had no time limit or rounds; therefore no judges were used for the night. Competitors could only win a match by submission
Submission (combat sport term)
A submission is a combat sports term for yielding to the opponent, and hence resulting in an immediate defeat...
, throwing in the towel, knockout
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
, or referee stoppage. This event marked the first time the referee was given the authority to stop the contest. The referee
Referee
A referee is the person of authority, in a variety of sports, who is responsible for presiding over the game from a neutral point of view and making on the fly decisions that enforce the rules of the sport...
for the night was once again "Big" John McCarthy.
Replacement fighter Steve Jennum
Steve Jennum
Steve Jennum is a retired American mixed martial artist and Nebraska police officer. He was the winner of the UFC 3 tournament in 1994.-Mixed martial arts career:...
won the tournament by defeating Harold Howard
Harold Howard
Harold Clarence Howard is a Canadian martial artist who earned a blackbelt in Jujutsu under O-Sensei Steve Reynolds and in Gōjū-ryū karate under Yogi Israel and was the first World Sport Jujutsu Heavyweight Champion in 1984...
via submission due to strikes, despite only fighting in the finals. Jennum was a replacement for Ken Shamrock
Ken Shamrock
Kenneth Wayne Shamrock is an American mixed martial arts fighter, UFC Hall of Famer and professional wrestler...
, who made it to the finals but withdrew due to injury. This was the first UFC tournament that was not won by Royce Gracie
Royce Gracie
Royce Gracie is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, a UFC Hall of Famer and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. A legend and pioneer in the sport of mixed martial arts, he is widely considered to be the most influential figure in the history of modern MMA.Gracie gained fame for his...
(who could not continue due to fatigue). After Jennum won the UFC 3 tournament as an alternate, the UFC instituted alternate qualifying bouts to balance out fatigue, and lessen the advantage that alternates previously had entering the tournament without fighting quarterfinal bouts.
UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre mentioned that watching Jennum win UFC 3 contributed to his decision to compete in mixed martial arts.[3]
Quarterfinals
Keith HackneyKeith HackneyKeith Hackney , is a retired American mixed martial arts fighter. He competed in two Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments.-Biography:...
vs. Emmanuel YarboroughEmmanuel YarboroughEmanuel 'Manny' Yarborough is an amateur sumo wrestler and mixed martial arts competitor, also having competed in judo, wrestling, and American football. He is 6 ft 8 in tall and has weighed up to 800+ lb . He holds the Guinness World Record for the largest athlete. Emanuel wears a size 21...
- Hackney defeated Yarborough via TKO (punches) at 1:59.
- Ken ShamrockKen ShamrockKenneth Wayne Shamrock is an American mixed martial arts fighter, UFC Hall of Famer and professional wrestler...
vs. Christophe Leininger
- Shamrock defeated Leininger via submission (punches) at 4:49.
Harold HowardHarold HowardHarold Clarence Howard is a Canadian martial artist who earned a blackbelt in Jujutsu under O-Sensei Steve Reynolds and in Gōjū-ryū karate under Yogi Israel and was the first World Sport Jujutsu Heavyweight Champion in 1984...
vs. Roland Payne
- Howard defeated Payne via KO (punch) at 0:46.
Royce GracieRoyce GracieRoyce Gracie is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, a UFC Hall of Famer and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. A legend and pioneer in the sport of mixed martial arts, he is widely considered to be the most influential figure in the history of modern MMA.Gracie gained fame for his...
vs. Kimo LeopoldoKimo LeopoldoKimo Leopoldo , or simply Kimo, is an American mixed martial artist. He made his MMA debut at UFC 3 in 1994 losing to Royce Gracie by submission. Kimo's fighting style has been described as freestyle, with a mixture of striking and grappling techniques.He was credited with a black belt in Taekwondo...
- Gracie defeated Leopoldo via submission (armlock) at 4:40. Due to fatigue and dehydration sustained during the fight, Gracie was unable to continue in the tournament.
Semifinals
- Ken ShamrockKen ShamrockKenneth Wayne Shamrock is an American mixed martial arts fighter, UFC Hall of Famer and professional wrestler...
vs. Felix Lee Mitchell
- Shamrock defeated Mitchell via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:36. Mitchell was a replacement for Hackney, who could not continue due to injury.
- Harold HowardHarold HowardHarold Clarence Howard is a Canadian martial artist who earned a blackbelt in Jujutsu under O-Sensei Steve Reynolds and in Gōjū-ryū karate under Yogi Israel and was the first World Sport Jujutsu Heavyweight Champion in 1984...
vs. Royce GracieRoyce GracieRoyce Gracie is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, a UFC Hall of Famer and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. A legend and pioneer in the sport of mixed martial arts, he is widely considered to be the most influential figure in the history of modern MMA.Gracie gained fame for his...
- Howard was given a bye due to Gracie's inability to continue the tournament due to exhaustion from the previous bout.
Finals
- Steve JennumSteve JennumSteve Jennum is a retired American mixed martial artist and Nebraska police officer. He was the winner of the UFC 3 tournament in 1994.-Mixed martial arts career:...
vs. Harold HowardHarold HowardHarold Clarence Howard is a Canadian martial artist who earned a blackbelt in Jujutsu under O-Sensei Steve Reynolds and in Gōjū-ryū karate under Yogi Israel and was the first World Sport Jujutsu Heavyweight Champion in 1984...
- Jennum defeated Howard via submission (punches) at 1:31. Jennum was a replacement for Ken ShamrockKen ShamrockKenneth Wayne Shamrock is an American mixed martial arts fighter, UFC Hall of Famer and professional wrestler...
who withdrew due to injury.
UFC 3 bracket
1Keith HackneyKeith Hackney
Keith Hackney , is a retired American mixed martial arts fighter. He competed in two Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments.-Biography:...
was forced to withdraw due to injury. He was replaced by Felix Lee Mitchell.
2Royce Gracie
Royce Gracie
Royce Gracie is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, a UFC Hall of Famer and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. A legend and pioneer in the sport of mixed martial arts, he is widely considered to be the most influential figure in the history of modern MMA.Gracie gained fame for his...
's corner threw in the towel before the fight. Harold Howard
Harold Howard
Harold Clarence Howard is a Canadian martial artist who earned a blackbelt in Jujutsu under O-Sensei Steve Reynolds and in Gōjū-ryū karate under Yogi Israel and was the first World Sport Jujutsu Heavyweight Champion in 1984...
then advanced to the finals of the tournament, since there were no other opponents for Howard to face (the two alternate competitors for the card were already being utilized to replace the injured Ken Shamrock
Ken Shamrock
Kenneth Wayne Shamrock is an American mixed martial arts fighter, UFC Hall of Famer and professional wrestler...
and Keith Hackney
Keith Hackney
Keith Hackney , is a retired American mixed martial arts fighter. He competed in two Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments.-Biography:...
).
3It was announced that Ken Shamrock
Ken Shamrock
Kenneth Wayne Shamrock is an American mixed martial arts fighter, UFC Hall of Famer and professional wrestler...
was injured at the event and could not continue, so he was replaced with Steve Jennum
Steve Jennum
Steve Jennum is a retired American mixed martial artist and Nebraska police officer. He was the winner of the UFC 3 tournament in 1994.-Mixed martial arts career:...
.